Apparatus for use in operating upon shoe-soles.



R. B. PUCKETT & H. R. ABBOTT.

APPARATUS FOR USE IN OPERATING UPON SHOE SOLES.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 27. 1916. RENEWED JUNE LQMMW.

Patented Jan. 15, 1918 fi Q g 7am f w. S w r 3 m e r E5 r I f TINTTE STAFFTQE.

ROBERT B. PUCKETT AND HARRY R. ABBOTT, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

APPARATUS FOR USE IN OPERATING UPON SHOE-SOLES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 15, 1918.

Application filed April 27, 1916, Serial No. 93,893. Renewed June 8,1917. Serial No. 173,649.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ROBERT B. PUoKET'r and HARRY R. ABBOTT, citizens ofthe United States, residing in the city of St. Louis and State ofMissouri, have invented new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Usein Operating Upon Shoe-Soles, of which the following is aspecification.'

This invention relates to the art of manufacturing shoes, and hasspecial reference to a novel apparatus for enabling a lift to be cutfrom the heel-seat portion of the outer sole after the tread portion ofthe latter has been secured to the upper. The objects of the inventionare to provide means for enabling a lift to be cut from the heeLseat portion of the outer sole of a shoe without danger of injuring or cuttingthe part of the shoe beneath the sole; to rovideln such an apparatusmeans for enabling the heel-seat portion of the sole to be accuratelypositioned with reference to the cutting imple ment, or die, so thattheopening made in the sole by cutting the lift therefrom will be correctlycentered with respect to the heelseat portion of the sole and the heelto be applied thereto; and, finally, to provide adjusting means forenabling the device to accommodate singer different size.

In the manufacture of shoes as now practised, the outer sole, consistingof an integral piece of leather, is secured to the upper and then theheel secured to the heel-seat portion of the sole. The heel-seat portionof the sole is never subjected to any wear, and it has heretofore beenproposed to remove a portion of this leather in the sha e of a liftwhich may be used as the top 11ft for a heel, and thereby secure greateconomy in the manufacture of shoes. In attempting to do this the lifthas been cut from the heel-seat portion of the outer sole, and a fillingtenon of approximately the size of the lift out, and of cheapermaterial, has been secured to the heel and then the heel applied inposition in the usual Way after the sole has been secured to the shoe,so that the tenon will fill the space made by removing the lift. It wassoon discovered that this was an impracticable method of procedure,owing to the impossibility of properly positioning the recess in thesole with respect to the tenon on the heel, so that when the heel wasapplied it would be exactly centered with respect to the sole.

In a companion application of the present inventors, filed January 12th,1916, Ser. No. 71,619, it has been proposed to cut the lift from thesole after the tread portion of the sole has been sewed to the upper,and before the heel-seat portion has been nailed thereto. In carryingout this idea it was thought possible to out the lift from the sole bythe use of a reciprocating die while the last was yet in the upper, thusutilizing the last to offer the necessary resistance to the die toenable the latter to cut through the sole. It was found, however, thatthe ordinary lasts used are not uniform in .size, even for the samestyle of shoe, and that frequently the die would cut through the outersole and into the inner sole, and such method of procedure was foundimpracticable.

The present invention enables the above objections to be overcome andpermits the lift to be cut from the sole in a simple, efficient andeconomical manner, as will hereinafter be described.

Referring now to the drawing Figure l is a plan view showing a shoe withthe outer sole secured thereto, and in position on a novel supportpermittin a lift to be cut from the heel-seat portion wlthout the dangerof cutting any other portion of the shoe, the view-showing the-sole withthe cut lift removed;

Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation, showing a shoe in position on theimproved support, and illustrating conventionally a die for cutting. thelift from the heel-seat portion of the sole; I

Fig. 3 is a view in front elevation of the improved support; and

Fig. 4 is a sectional view ofv a heel supplied with a tenon for fillingthe opening made by removing the lift from the outer sole.

The numeral 1 indicates a support, such as a table, or the like, onwhich is mounted a head 2 having yoke-members 3, which are connected attheir upper end by a block 4, which is preferably cast integral with theyoke-members 3. The block 4 is flat on its upper side, and has a roundedend portion 5 projecting slightly beyond the front side of theyoke-members 3, and its under side is inclined rearwardly from saidfront end to the end of an extension 6 which projects a considerabledistance beyond the rear sides of the yoke-members 3. The extension 6 isin the form of a plate, and at the point where it projects from theblock 4 the latter provides a vertically-disposed shoulder 7. Secured onthe upper side of the block 4 is a fiat, metal plate 8 which at its rearside is bent at right angles to itself, as indicated at 9, to extendover the'shoulder 7, to which it is secured by means of screws 10. Theunder side of the block 4 and of the plate 6 form one continuousinclined surface, as shown more clearly in Figs. 2 and 3, and indicatedby the numeral 11. The numeral 12 indicates a gage-plate which is cutaway to'provide a V-shaped recess from the edges of which dependguide-members 13 formed integral with said plate and converging from theforward edge and outer side thereof to a point about midway of theplate. Toward its outer end the plate 12 is provided with slots 14 whichare adapted to loosely receive the screw-threaded ends of set screws 15which pass through apertures 16 formed in the rear end of the plate 6,the screw-threaded ends of said screws being received in screw-threadedapertures formed in the outer end of a nut plate 17 In proceedingaccording to the present invention, an outer sole 18 is stitched to theupper in the usual way, as indicated by the row of stitching 19, leavinga heel-seat portion 20 free, that is, unconnected with the upper. Theoperator places this heel-seat portion on the plate 8 and places theshoe between the yoke-members 3, its heel-portion engaging the inclinedside 11 of the block 4, and being guided to a true central position bythe guide-members 13, which also act to limit the inward movement of theshoe. A die 21, which is shown removably secured in a holder 22, isthenreciprocated in a defined path, as bya plunger 22 in any preferredway to cut a lift from the heel-seat portion 20, in which operation thecutting edge of the die will pass through the outer sole and engage theplate 8 which is preferably of soft metal. The cutting of the liftprovides an opening 23 in the heel-seat portion of the sole, which iscorrectly positioned with reference to the heel portion of the shoe.When the shoe is removed from the block 4 the lift is carried with itand is then easily removed by hand. The heelseat portion of the outersole is then nailed to the counter and inner sole of the upper in theusual way, after which a heel 24, provided with a tenon 25, is appliedto the outer sole, the tenon filling the opening 23 made by removingthe-lift from the sole. By

loosening the set screws 15 it is obvious that the gage-plate 12 may beadjusted to permit the guide-members 13 to properly position varyingsizes of shoes.

From all of the foregoing it will be readily appreciated by thoseskilled in the art that by the use of the apparatus herein described alift may be cut from an outer sole in such manner that when the heelhaving a filling tenon thereon is applied to the sole the heel will becorrectly positioned or centered with respect to the latter.

It is, contemplated that the plunger 22 will form part of a suitablemachine whereby the die 21 may be given a single reciprocation at thewill of the operator for cutting the lift when successive shoes havebeen adjusted to the proper position on the support. Such machine,however, forms no part of the present invention, and we have merelyshown, more or less conventionally, a guide 26 in which the plunger 22reciprocates, and which causes the same to move in a defined path withrespect to the plate 8 on the block 4.

We claim:

1. An apparatus of the character described, comprising a sole supportadapted for insertion between the heel seat portion of the sole and acorresponding portion of the upper and when so positioned to extendunder and to support the entire heel seat portion of the sole, and alift-cutting die supported in opposed relation to said member andpositioned to operate within the confines of the supported heel seatportion, the sole support and lift-cutting die being constructed andarranged to enable relative movement therebetween effective to bringthem into contact.

2. An apparatus of the character described comprising a sole supportadapted for insertion between the heel-seat portion of the sole and acorresponding portion of the upper, and when so positioned to extendunder and to support the entire heel-seat portion of the sole, and alift-cutting die mounted to be moved in a right line toward and fromsaid member and positioned to operate within the confines of thesupported heel-seat portion.

3. An apparatus of the character described comprising a supported memberhaving a tapered portion presenting a flat upper side and an inclinedunder side converging to the front edge of said upper side, said taperedportion being insertible between the unattached heel-seat portion of asole and a correspondin portion of an upper, and means for positloning ashoe on and in fixed relation to said apparatus with the heel-seatportion of the sole extending entirely over and supported on said flatupper side.

4. An apparatus of the character described comprising a supported memberadapted for insertion between the heel-seat portion of a sole and acorresponding portion of the upper and having a flat upper side and aninclined under side converging toward the front edge of said upper side,said flat and inclined sides being of an extent in operation to passentirely within the space between the said heel-seat portion of the soleand the corresponding portion of the upper, and guides positioned on theunder side of said member and converging rearwardly with respectthereto.

5. An apparatus of the character described comprising .a supportedmember having a flat upper side and an inclined under side convergingtoward the front edge of said upper side, and a plate adjustablysupported on the under side of said member and carrying guide membersconverging rearwardly with respect thereto.

6. An apparatus of the character described comprising a supported memberhaving a flat upper side and an inclined under side converging towardthe front edge of said upper side, a plate adjustably supported'on theunder side of said member and having a V-shaped recess in its forwardside, and guide members depending from the edges. of said recess.

7. An apparatus of the character described comprising a stationary yoke,a block supported between the legsthereof at one end of the yoke andhaving a tapered portion presenting a flat upper side and an inclinedlower side converging toward the forward edge of said upper side, saidtapered portion being adapted for insertion between the unattachedheel-seat portion of a sole and the corresponding portion of anupper,and when in said position to supportare spaced a suflicient distanceapart to permit the entrance of the heel portion of a shoe-upper betweenthem, and a wedge shaped block mounted at one end of said yoke andextending between the arms thereof and afl'ording an upper flat side,said flat sided portion being of an extent to be passed between theunattached heel-seat portion of a sole and the corresponding portion ofan upper and to support the central area of said heel-seat portion uponits flat upper side.-

In testimony whereof, We have hereunto set our hands.

ROBERT B. PUOKETT. HARRY. R. ABBOTT.

